


Tongue Tied

by benmitchells



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:01:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22132948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benmitchells/pseuds/benmitchells
Summary: Callum knows an awful lot about PC Ben Mitchell.He’s never actually met the bloke, to be fair, but he’s been working at Walford Police Station for nearly two months now and in that time he’s heard so many stories about him that it more or less feels like he has.ORPC Callum Highway meets PC Ben Mitchell for the first time.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 9
Kudos: 106





	Tongue Tied

**Author's Note:**

> for the anon on tumblr who sent me: 'Short fic prompt: both cops au? Both Ben and Callum are part of the police force when they meet I mean!! Hope this helps you stay sane, keep up the great content!!'
> 
> i really struggled with this one bc imagining ben as a copper is like imagining a fish with legs lmao and that's why it took me so long (TOO long) to do, but i hope you enjoy it anyway!!
> 
> <3

Callum knows an awful lot about PC Ben Mitchell.

He’s never actually met the bloke, to be fair, but he’s been working at Walford Police Station for nearly two months now and in that time he’s heard so many stories about him that it more or less feels like he has. Ben Mitchell is someone that’s always coming up in conversation; always a ‘remember when Ben did this’ or a ‘remember when Ben said that’, always stories being shared across the staff room with a laugh and – more often than not – an eye roll.

Callum can’t really tell if people like Ben or not though, is the thing. The words ‘prick’ and ‘bastard’ seem to come up a lot in reference to him, but people still talk about him with a smile on their face most of the time. People will ask each other if they have any news about his recovery and seem genuinely pleased to hear he’s doing well, but then will complain about the fact that that means he’ll be coming back to work soon. It’s a strange mix of disdain and affection, and Callum is yet to figure out which one outweighs the other. Or what to make of it all.

(There’s also an alarming amount of talk about Ben being crooked. Callum had initially thought it was all some kind of inside joke that he didn’t get, but the longer it’s gone on without any kind of let up, the more he’s started to wonder.)

So while Callum _feels_ like he knows an awful lot about PC Ben Mitchell, all he _does_ know about him can be whittled down to three simple things: that he was injured during a drug bust that had gone wrong not long before Callum had started working at Walford Station and had been off recovering ever since, that he seems to generally have the same affect on people as Marmite, and that today is his first shift back, and he’s working it with Callum.

Callum doesn’t really know what he expected Ben Mitchell to be like – could never figure out from the stories he heard if he was a lovable rogue or just a straight up asshole – but whatever expectations he did have about him are blown out of the water the moment Ben throws open the double doors to the office and shouts ‘honey, I’m home!’. He has a crooked smile on his (surprisingly young, surprisingly _handsome_ )face, and he walks into the room like he owns the place, holding out his arms as if to say ‘here I am’. Someone calls out ‘God, it was so much quieter without you around’, but everyone has stopped what they’re doing to gather around and greet him anyway.

Everyone apart from Callum, who decides to hang back and watch from afar. He’s not entirely sure what to make of it all (the entire thing is bordering on a hero’s welcome, and the way people are reacting to seeing Ben again makes Callum wonder if maybe his injury had been more serious than he had realized; that maybe people are less excited to see him back at work and more excited to see him _alive_ ), nor what to make of Ben himself – his smile seems to be perpetually smug, like he knows something that no one else does (his whole aura seems smug, actually, even from across the room), and he’s lapping up the attention he’s getting, taking every gibe sent his way in his stride, and biting back with gibes of his own. Even from afar he can tell that Ben's impressively witty, and charismatic, and _handsome_ , and Callum – worryingly – struggles to take his eyes off him.

The commotion doesn’t last forever, though, and eventually and people return back to what they were doing. Callum watches as Ben excuses himself from the few people that are lingering and starts to walk across the room – he assumes that he’s going to the staffroom, or going to see their Sergeant, but instead he catches Callum’s eye and makes a beeline right for him.

Callum feels distinctly like a mouse that’s being cornered by a cat as Ben saunters over to him, a glint in his eye and half a smile on his face. Belatedly, he tries to make himself look busy and _not_ like he’s been standing there creepily watching this man from across the room, but judging from the look on Ben’s face, he thinks it’s probably too late.

“I know I’m a sight for sore eyes,” Ben starts as soon as he’s stood next to him. Callum immediately feels heat begin to crawl up his neck, “but were you actually planning on coming over and saying hello at some point, or were you just gonna stand over here and stare at me all day?”

“I, um,” Callum stutters, and Ben’s smirk deepens, “I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to interrupt-”

“Interrupt what? People saying hello?” Ben asks. Callum can’t tell if this is good natured teasing or not, and that makes him uneasy – especially when Ben drags his eyes up and down Callum’s entire body twice; once as if he’s trying to get a good read of him, then again in a way that can only be described as appreciative. The sensation of Ben’s eyes on him is so heavy it almost feels physical. The heat in his neck climbs.

But then Ben’s face relaxes into something more more neutral and he holds out his hand for him to shake, and Callum feels like he can breathe again. “Ben Mitchell.” He says, and smiles lightly.

It takes him a moment to catch up, feeling completely thrown off by the entire exchange, but he reaches out and takes Ben’s hand eventually, shaking it with probably a bit too much enthusiasm. “Callum. Highway- Callum Highway.” He manages, stuttering around the words.

The heat is now firmly in Callum’s cheeks. He wonders if he’s gone red.

Despite Callum’s obvious embarrassment – or more likely because of it – he sees amusement flicker in Ben’s eyes. His eyebrows raise slightly, his head tilting to one side.

“Well that’s a long name, Callum Highway Callum Highway.” He teases, and Callum laughs – out of embarrassment, more than anything else. Ben lets go of his hand, and Callum lets it fall back to his side; presses his palm firmly into his thigh to prevent himself from doing something stupid like touching his hair or adjusting his collar.

Callum realizes this is stupid. Handsome men he can handle – he wouldn’t have been able to survive so many years in the military (and the closet, for that matter) if the presence of handsome men affected him like this.

But it’s not just the fact that Ben’s handsome that’s throwing Callum off. It’s the full, undivided _attention_ that Ben is giving him; staring right at Callum, his pretty eyes not looking away once as he smiles and waits for him to speak – it’s too much. It almost feels dangerous, like a disaster waiting to happen, and Callum is well aware that he _is_ a disaster when it comes to men, but this moment right now might just take the cake of being his most disastrous moment yet.

Callum notices Ben’s tongue peeks out of his mouth briefly as he pulls his lip between his teeth. Then he notices himself noticing, and all he can bring himself to do is stare at Ben’s mouth and think _oh no_.

And the worst part is that Ben – Ben, his new co-worker; Ben, the man he has _literally_ just met – looks at him like he knows exactly what Callum’s thinking.

Callum forces himself to look away – down at the floor instead, at the ugly grey carpet that lines the entire office. Anything not to have to look at Ben and the way he’s looking at Callum.

“You can just call me Callum.” He finally manages to get out after a silence that has dragged on for an unacceptably long amount of time.

“ _Callum_?” Ben questions, and the offence in his voice has Callum’s head snapping back up. “Don’t you think that’s a little too intimate, PC Highway? This is a professional environment, after all.”

Callum feels his heart sink. “I’m so sorry, I just thought- I didn’t think it was a problem but-”

“Callum, I’m winding you up.” Ben tells him, smile is now twice as wide and twice as devious. Callum’s mouth has gone dry, still dropped open around his apology. “God, you look like you’re gonna cry.”

Callum blinks to himself a few times, pressing his lips together as he tries to force himself not to be embarrassed (even though he really, _really_ is). “You’re not funny.”

Ben puts one hand to his chest and mimics being wounded. “Don’t tell me that; my humour’s all I’ve got going for me- well, that and a proper sexy bullet wound now.”

The news that Ben had been _shot_ makes whatever Callum’s might’ve said next die in his throat. He hadn’t known Ben’s injury was as serious as that, and he feels guilty suddenly, though he’s not really sure why – it’s not like he’d been the one that shot him. Still, though, he finds himself looking down at his shoes, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, unsure what to say now.

“I’ll be honest with you Callum,” Ben starts after a moment, leaning in slightly like he’s sharing a secret, “when I found out that it’d be spending my first day back babysitting some rookie I was pretty annoyed-”

“I don’t need to be _babysat._ ” Callum assures him, resentful of the idea. Just like that, any guilt he had felt for Ben is gone. “I’m more than capable of holding my own.”

“Oh I’m sure you are, big hands like that.” Ben agrees, not at all fazed by Callum’s attitude. He nods towards Callum’s hands as if to drive the point home; Callum balls his hands into fists and hides them behind his back, not quite sure how to take that. “And y’know, if at any point you feel scared and want me to hold your hand all you’ve gotta do is ask-”

“Are you always like this?” Callum asks, just to stop him from talking.

“I’ll have you know I’m going easy on you, rookie.” Ben tells him, smirk fixed in place. Suddenly Callum understands why everyone speaks about him the way they do. He can’t tell if he likes him or loathes him either. “Come on then, PC Highway. Let me take you under my wing.” Callum doesn’t move. Ben nudges him slightly, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Callum lets out an annoyed huff, but can’t help but be amused – that, and worryingly charmed. Ben smiles at Callum like he knows. Like he has him right where he wants him.

And maybe he does, because when he turns around and starts to walk away, Callum follows him without a second thought.

“I promise I’ll take very good care of you, Callum.” Ben says without even looking back.

Callum can look after himself, that's what he wants to say – that he doesn’t need to be looked after, or babysat. That he isn’t weak.

But then Ben shoots him a look over his shoulder, one corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk, and Callum finds he can't say anything at all.

**Author's Note:**

> like i said, i did really struggle with this one so i'm sorry if it wasn't The Greatest but i hope it was enjoyable anyway!!
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr @sunsetsover !!
> 
> and as always, kudos and comments are always really appreciated!!
> 
> <3


End file.
